Himitsu
by Rose Thorne
Summary: After Duke Barma reveals Break's secrets, Liam fears it has come between them and potentially ruined their friendship. Break/Liam


**Himitsu**

by Rose Thorne

Disclaimer: _Pandora Hearts_ is owned by Jun Mochizuki, Square Enix, et al.

* * *

Xerxes Break was avoiding him.

It wasn't hard for Liam to understand why, after what his master had done, exposing Break's secrets, exposing _Break_, like he had. Just being there, part of Duke Barma's audience for the unmasking of all that his friend had worked so hard to move past, had felt to Liam like a betrayal of Break's trust, of their friendship.

But even a week after the incident, Liam rarely saw him. When he had, often at a Pandora-related meeting, Break's state of mind hadn't reassured him. He had, in true Xerxes style, acted as though nothing was wrong, but even his normal foolery had felt distant, forced.

Break hadn't even returned his coat. He had spares, but _really_.

Liam resorted to breaking into his room to retrieve it—prepared to use the excuse of the week's backlogged paperwork to prevent Break from avoiding him. But he wasn't there, and neither was the coat.

Or, rather, he had obviously left in a hurry, even leaving behind a piece of cake. Break had heard him coming and had avoided him after all.

Perhaps it was a bit cruel for Liam to eat it and leave the paperwork in its place, but he was far too irritated to regret it until it was done and he was nearly back at his own quarters.

He entered them to find Break hanging his freshly-laundered coat in the closet. He caught the barest glimpse of a regretful look before it was replaced by genuine surprise and forced sheepishness.

Liam realized Break was going to, well, make a break for it a few seconds before he did, and that was the only reason he managed to snag his sleeve before he got away.

Unfortunately, Break's momentum dragged him along and they both wound up sprawled on the floor against the door. Before Break could move, Liam scrambled to his feet and locked the door.

"Xerxes, you _asshole_!"

He was surprised when Break actually cringed, and all the anger left him.

Liam sagged against the door, left with only worry. He'd likely just compounded his sins. In his mind's eye, all he could see was a younger, angrier, bitter Break, the Break who lashed out at whoever touched him. The Break who had been tortured and warped by the burden of the very secrets that Duke Burma had revealed.

"You don't have to avoid me, damn you," he whispered, unable to even look at Break, afraid that he might be the Break from before, the one who had never smiled. "I am not my master."

When he moved his hand toward the lock, intending to let him leave, Break grabbed his wrist and yanked him off balance, bringing him to his knees on the floor beside him.

Before Liam could react with anger, Break touched his forehead, his fingers brushing lightly against the cut that was still healing. It was like a benediction of sorts.

"I'm well aware of that," Break murmured with a crooked smile. "Well aware."

Liam felt frozen, with Break's fingers slowly tracing a path to his lips in a gesture that was, to him, undeniably sensual. It shouldn't have felt sensual—that was yet another strike against him, another blow to the trust Break had put in him when he had declared them friends.

Break pulled his fingers away to reveal crumbs sticking to his gloves, and pouted. "You ate my cake."

The switch to facetiousness left Liam sputtering in a bizarre mix of irritation and relief. "_Xerxes—_"

The pout was gone just as quickly as it had appeared, leaving only a very tired-looking man in its wake.

"I suppose it's fair. I have, after all, stolen so much of your cake."

"Nearly _all_ of it," Liam pointed out testily.

Break's lips twitched half-heartedly. He sighed, dropping his hand from Liam's face toward his own chest almost unconsciously, as though to hide what was already covered again.

"And I've kept so much from you. My whole life, a secret."

It took Liam a moment to realize that his mouth had dropped open in shock. Break was _apologizing_—or close enough, anyway—like it was his fault he had been exposed in such a vile way. For him to be so… open… It was clear that what had happened was affecting him significantly. Break was always a clown, even during serious moments, breaking the tension with his practical jokes and ridiculous comments. Until now, apparently.

When he didn't respond, Break's expression turned even darker. "A dark, terrible secret."

"It doesn't matter!" he yelled, then flushed at his own outburst when Break blinked at him.

He didn't care who Break had been once upon a time, in this Kevin Regnard. It didn't matter that the person Break had once been had done terrible things, that he had once been an illegal contractor. Break would only ever be Break to him. Liam only wanted him to be Break; he didn't want what had been revealed to come between them.

To cover his discomposure, Liam stood and brushed off his clothing, then pulled Break to his feet. Easily, with Break so fragile underneath all the clothing he wore—the layers and layers that had once seemed silly and exorbitant. It still took a moment for him to find his voice.

"You have the right to your secrets," he finally said. "And the right to reveal them when _you_ wish, to whom _you_ choose."

Break stared at him for a moment, his good eye wide, before his features relaxed into one of his rare true smiles. Liam didn't think he'd ever been the cause of one of those smiles. He had only ever seen them directed at Sharon. Directed at him… it was almost breathtaking.

And so he wasn't prepared at all when Break leaned in and kissed him probingly, leaving him truly breathless. It was almost like he was tasting him. When Break finally pulled back, leaving Liam red-faced and stuttering, that familiar foolish grin was back in place.

"Not even a crumb left," he pouted.

Liam was too startled to resist when Break pulled him out the door and frog-marched him down the hall, trying to wrap his head around the fact that Break had just _kissed him_.

"You owe me cake!"

"X-Xerxes!"

Even with the teasing and, of course, Break stealing all of the cake for himself, Liam couldn't help but feel strangely elated. The exposure of Break by his master, the secrets, his own sins… they wouldn't come between them.

But when Break dragged him past his room and into Break's own quarters, he realized that in that kiss another secret had been revealed.

One that wasn't dark or terrible at all.

* * *

Tsutsuji and Chrissy have been harassing me for months to get into this series. I resisted for quite a while, but finally gave in. I started reading the manga a few days back and this particular arc grabbed me and wouldn't let me go until I'd written for it.

I'm told there are lots of fics dealing with this specific scene, so I'm apparently not the only one.

I'm not sure I have the characters down, but I hope it's okay. Haven't seen the anime yet, so this is all manga-based.


End file.
